This application claims the priority of German Patent Document 100 26 561.8, filed in Germany, May 27, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a folding-table arrangement for vehicles, in particular for motor vehicles. Preferred embodiments of the invention relate to a folding-table arrangement for motor vehicles, which arrangement is assigned to a vehicle seat, with a tabletop arrangement comprising at least one tabletop being accommodated in a receiving housing which is arranged laterally next to the vehicle seat and from which each tabletop of the tabletop arrangement can be pulled out upwards and folded down into an approximately horizontal in-use position in which the tabletop arrangement is held by the receiving housing by a support, in which case the tabletop arrangement together with the hinge pin axle which connects it to the receiving housing is guided in a sliding manner between its pulled-out and its pushed-in position in a guide shaft of the receiving housing.
European Patent Document EP 0 350 897 A2 (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,576) has already disclosed a folding-table arrangement in which two tabletops can be pulled out upwards from a receiving housing, which is arranged laterally next to the vehicle seat, and can be folded downwards into a horizontal in-use position. For the sliding guidance of the tabletops in the receiving housing, a hinge pin of a hinge band connecting the tabletops to each other is provided, which hinge pin is lowered together with the tabletops and whose ends which protrude with respect to the hinge band engage in guide strips arranged on the vertical narrow sides of the receiving housing.
In their in-use position, the two tabletops rest with their wide side on the associated narrow side of the receiving housing and are supported via the hinge pin. As a counter-holder for supporting the protruding ends of the hinge pin in their position above the receiving housing, the guide strips project out of the receiving housing and are closed at their upper end by a dome-shaped covering.
The raised coverings of the guide strips clearly protrude over the tabletops in their in-use position and can undesirably restrict the freedom of movement of the user. In addition, in the case of accidents the raised coverings may increase the risk of injury for the occupants of the vehicle.
An object of the invention is therefore to develop a folding-table arrangement of the generic type which makes possible more comfortable use and an improvement in the security against injury in the case of accidents.
The invention achieves this object by providing a folding-table arrangement for motor vehicles, which arrangement is assigned to a vehicle seat, with a tabletop arrangement comprising at least one tabletop being accommodated in a receiving housing which is arranged laterally next to the vehicle seat and from which each tabletop of the tabletop arrangement can be pulled out upwards and folded down into an approximately horizontal in-use position in which the tabletop arrangement is held by the receiving housing by a support, in which case the tabletop arrangement together with the hinge pin axle connects it to the receiving housing is guided in a sliding manner between its pulled-out and its pushed-in position in a guide shaft of the receiving housing, wherein the hinge pin axle of the tabletop arrangement is fixed on a guide slide which is guidably movable in a guide shaft of the receiving housing and, in an in-use position of the tabletop arrangement, is displaced into an upper end position in the guide shaft.
Advantageous refinements of the invention can be gathered from the following description and the claims.
In the case of the folding-table arrangement, which can be used in aircraft, watercraft or land vehicles, a stop has merely to be provided for the upper end position of the guide slide of the tabletop arrangement, which stop is arranged within the receiving housing and therefore does not protrude in a raised manner from the receiving housing. In addition, the hinge pin does not have to have any end regions which protrude laterally from the tabletop arrangement, which means that the width of engagement of the tabletop arrangement, and therefore also the clear width of the receiving shaft, can be reduced.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the hinge pin is formed by two spaced-apart hinges. This produces significant advantages in terms of weight with sufficient stability, as compared with a continuous hinge band, and the outlay on installation can be reduced.
In order to be able to bring the tabletop arrangement into an in-use position, lying centrally in front of the assigned seat, without an undesirable increase in size of the tabletop formats, there is provided as the lateral extension arm a supporting plate on which the tabletop arrangement is mounted in a manner enabling it to be displaced by the user for individual positioning.
In order to make possible a particularly exact adaptation of the tabletop position to the user""s requirements, the tabletop arrangement can be mounted in a manner enabling it to be displaced in an infinitely variable manner in the longitudinal direction of the supporting plate and transversely thereto. An ergonomically favorable position of the tabletop arrangement can thereby be set individually for each user, since virtually any point in the plane can be xe2x80x9capproachedxe2x80x9d.
In order to be able to design the receiving housing such that it is compact despite a sufficient tabletop format of the tabletop arrangement, a two-part tabletop is advantageously provided for the tabletop arrangement assigned to a seat. Each of the partial tabletops can therefore be matched to the width of the receiving housing. The tabletop parts are connected along the long narrow sides, for example via hinges, so that one of the two partial tabletops can be folded onto the other one in a space-saving manner prior to the tabletop arrangement being slid into the guide shaft.
In addition to the horizontal setting option of the tabletop arrangement, the latter can additionally be set in inclination, for example for writing activities or the like.
The setting of the inclination of the tabletop arrangement can be made possible in a technically simple manner by means of a segment-like holding plate which is mounted pivotably on the guide slide.
In order for there to be clearance above the receiving shaft for the setting of the inclination of the holding plate, the upper end region of the receiving housing can be bevelled corresponding to the maximum inclination of the holding plate. Therefore, additional constructional space is not required in the receiving housing for the setting of the inclination.
A technically particularly simple fixing of the tabletop arrangement in its horizontal in-use position can be realized by means of a holding bracket made of bent wire.
For a space-saving accommodation of the folding table when not in use, the receiving housing together with the folding table accommodated beneath it can be folded down into a lowered storage position.
By coordinating a pivot axis, which runs transversely to the wide side of the receiving housing, with the seat position and by means of the dimensions of the receiving housing, when the receiving housing is folded downwards the upwardly facing narrow side can lie in a position in which it can be used as an arm support.
If this is desirable, the corresponding narrow side of the receiving housing can be upholstered in a similar manner to an armrest of a seat.
For a further, individual setting of the folding-table arrangement, in particular in combination with the possibility of setting the inclination of the tabletop arrangement, it is possible, in the in-use position, for a plurality of pivoting positions of the receiving housing to be set fixedly in a limited setting region. The initial position of the tabletop arrangement can therefore be set away from the user or close to the user.
Further details and advantageous refinements of the invention are explained in greater detail below with reference to the drawing.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.